I'll Be Right There
by Rocket Ice
Summary: And you run, knowing that it won't change anything. But it looks like the moon has finally found her Earth.  -A Natsumi/Kotarou one-shot-


Hi! Author here! Uh, well, I decided to do a one shot of Natsumi/Kotarou stories, because I'm absolutely in love with this pairing, and I noticed that FanFiction has a lack of stories devoted to their total cuteness.

Disclaimer: I don't own jack Rakan. If I did, Natsumi would probably be the third most important character. Also, there would be an actual show instead of OVAs out by now. But, I don't. So, please don't sue. :D

**I'll Wait Right Here**

_A Series of One-Shots and Drabbles about Natsumi/Kotarou_

Chapter One: [_when no one else was looking]_

Breathe in; breathe out; keep going; don't look backBreathe in; breathe out; keep going; don't look back

Murakami Natsumi was running. She was running as far as she could in as little time as her non-athletic legs were able to handle. The reason for the escape Natsumi was attempting to make? It was the same as the last time, and the time before that, and so forth. It was the other members of the drama club.

Natsumi craved attention. This wasn't in the sense of that she was self-righteous or anything of that sort; she was simply worried that if people didn't look at her often, she would cease to exist from their lives, and, consequently, from her own. This was the phobia that dominated all of her existence. It was also the majority of the reason she had decided to join the illustrious drama club at Mahora all those years ago, in her latter years of elementary school. Natsumi had felt that if she had an entire audience watching her, her existence would go on that much more.

However, there was one major problem with the desire that Natsumi beheld: she wasn't that amazing an actress. In the eyes of her drama club peers, at the very least, she was all right, on a good day, when her part didn't call for ad-libbing, or the audience was too big for Natsumi to take it without hyperventilating. So, because of her hindrances, she became a sort of liability to the drama club. The higher ups had kept her in due to the few brilliant moments Natsumi had acted in her time in the club. So, she began to receive mainly background roles, and the like. Natsumi thought that this would be okay, at least until she was able to improve herself.

Unfortunately, Natsumi's peers in the drama club did not share her optimism on the subject. At first, they may have been hopeful for change, but this quickly became impatience and annoyance. Their reviews of Natsumi's performances became harsher, and more hurtful, by the day. It was as if they were bullying her, to an extent.

Natsumi, though, could never argue back. Awful and unconstructive the criticisms were about her performance, her peers weren't necessarily wrong. She knew she wasn't good.

'_Why did I decide to do this anyways?'_ Natsumi asked herself. She took a seat momentarily on a bench in the middle of a park far from the university's drama club's headquarters. She gazed up at the sky, trying to catch her breath. The color was a dark blue, nothing to break it, except a sliver of the moon towards the east, giving her an even greater sense of loneliness.

She reflected back on the day's events, wondering if maybe she was being over-dramatic. Though, remembering the way that her drama club peers didn't look at her directly, and didn't even speak to her, Natsumi knew that she had made the right choice. _'It won't be long until they forget about me too…' _she mused, tears reaching the brim of her eyes. _'And, even better; though it's way late, nobody will come looking for me.'_

Then, Natsumi heard it. The sound that made the tears stop falling, even for just a moment. Someone was calling her name.

"Natsumi-neechan!" the voice cried out. It sounded scared, and, weirdest of all, worried.

'_Worried about me?'_ Natsumi said, wanting to hope. She then deflated, and thought, _'No way. It's me, after all.'_

Then, the sound appeared again. It was closer this time, and Natsumi heard a pitter-patter of running feet to accompany it. She sat, silent, not knowing what to think, or what to believe.

He showed up at that moment, coming around a tree. Even though it was evident he had been running for over an hour, by the sweat that glistened his forehead, and his breathing was heavy, it didn't appear as if he planned on stopping any time soon. 

Natsumi inwardly gasped, realizing whom it was. The runner was her roommate, and pretend younger brother, Inugami Kotarou. He had moved in with them a few months previously, and while Natsumi really liked him (in a younger brother type way, of course), she was convinced he was in love with their roommate, Chizuru.

'_If that's true…'_ Natsumi thought, still looking at him. _'Then why is he here?'_

"Oh, Natsumi-neechan!" he called, snapping Natsumi out of her thoughts. Kotarou had spotted her, and was running her way, waving his arm in the air in an attempt to get Natsumi's attention.

Once he was in front of her, and had stopped for a split second to catch his breath, he inquired of her, "Why are you sitting out here, Natsumi-neechan?"

She blinked at him, as if she didn't recognize his presence completely. "Why are _you_ here, Kotarou-kun?" Natsumi turned on him. However, she didn't turn her head up, not wanting to see his expression.

He looked taken aback by the question momentarily, before responding. "I'm looking for you, of course. You didn't come back at your usual time from drama club, so I was worried, of course."

Natsumi inwardly gasped again, her eyes widening. She looked up at him, facing him in the eyes for once. "Worried?" she asked, not truly believing it. "About me?"

Kotarou raised an eyebrow. "What?" He thought for a moment, and then looked the redhead directly in her green eyes. "Of course I worried about you."

Natsumi looked him back in the eyes. What she found there was most shocking. Embedded in the way he was looking at her was actual caring; actual worrying. He _cared_ for her. He even was one of the few who look at her straight, as if he didn't mind her bland personality, kinky hair, or any of her other faults. Tears were brought back to her own eyes once more, but instead of fear and depression causing their birth, now it was something Natsumi knew only slimly. Relief.

She stood up, wiping away one tear. Natsumi then hugged Kotarou as tightly as possible. She whispered into his ear, "Thank you, Kotarou-kun."

And suddenly, the night shone brighter than it had in a long, long time.

[The End]

What'd you think? If you want, please review. If not, don't worry. :D Just reading it is good enough for me! If you like it, also favorite, but I'm not going to be harassing.


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